Mechanism for yieldingly resisting relative movement of bodies.



n. D. GALLAGHER, In. MEGHANISM FOR YIELDINGLY RBSISTING I`L.`I.|A'IIVL1MOVEMENT OP BODIES.

APPLIOATION P ILBD NOV, 27. 1909;

Patented Dec. 2G, 1910.'

mma

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

Y ,RL D. GALL-AGREE, JR. MEGHANISM FOR YIELDINGLY RESISTING RELATIVEMOVEMENT 0F. BODIES.

` APPLICATION YILED NOV. 27, 1909. 978,873 Patented 1360.20, 1910. l 43SHEETS-SHEET 2.

- R. D. GALLAGHER, JR. MEGHANISM-OR YIELDINGLY RESISTING RELATIVEMOVEMENT 0F BODIES.I

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 27, 1909.

Patented Dec. 20, 1910.

3 SHEETS-SBEQT 3.

.4|||| IIHHIIII UNITED srnrns PATENT OFFICE.'

RICHARD D. GALLAGHR, JR.; OF NEW YORK, N. `Y., ASSIGNOR TO STANDARDUOUPLE'R COMPANY, F NEW YORK, N. Y., A UEPRATION l'E NE'W JERSEY.

MECHANISM non YifnLnrNGf-LY 'nnsrs'rme rmnamvnrrovmmnmr or nomas.

essere.

vkEpecication of LetteIsIa'tent. `v Patente/d Dec, 20,1911),`

Application .mea navemer 27, k1me. l serialno. 530,263.

To' all whom it may concern:

-Be it known -that I, RICHARD D. GALLA- GHER, Jr., a citizen of theUnited States, re-\ siding at New York, in ithe county of New York andState ot' New York, :have .invented certain new and useful Improvements'in Mechanism for Yieldingly Resisting Relative Movement of Bodies;-andI do hereby declare the :following-to be a full, clear, and exactdescription `ot the same, reference being had :to .the Aaccompanyingdrawings, forming a lpart `of this specification, and I'to'. the figuresand 'letters of reference .marked thereon.

The present invention :relates `tomeehanism designed for rabsorbing ktherelative movement between bodies by dissi-pitting the energy -inovercoming the elastic resistance of yielding members and, at the sametime, providing a means whereby injuriousrecoil Y is, `to a largeextent, eliminated.

The invention is moreespeeia'lly applicable to buiing gear yand draftrigging of railway cars and has been designed with especial reference tothis class of devices.

Broadly stated, -the inventionzonsists in a mechanism ofthe characterindicated-em bodyinga series of `elastic plates arranged `in intimatefrictional Contact with each other lto form a lyielding resistance'member and means whereby said plates may be flexed intermediate theirends, the frictiona'l contact between the plates being maintained andincreasedv by a supplemental yielding follower member 'adapted to bemoved against its spring resistance by the flexing of the plates inabsorbing the movement of the parts. y

The .invention further consists in certain novel .details ofconstructioniand combination and arrangements of parts, all .as will, behereinafter described and ypointed out particularly in the appendedclaims. y

. Referring to thefacco'mpanying drawings Vwhich show the 'inventionnsappliedtobuffing mechanism fand draft rigging -ofirailway cars-Figure y1-is .a top plan, one :half i in .horiaontal section of a portion of oneend of a railway car 'with the flooring Aremoved. Fig. 2 is alongitudinal sectioninfa central -vertical plane' of the parts illus-.trated in Fig. 1. tigt 3-is1a .section ina vertical plane on `the 4line8-3 of Fig. f1.

Fig. 4 is an endelevation of'one half .o'f the 55 structure shown.irillIPigLl L' AFig? 5 -tisa top employed in connection with theIpresent inf plan view, -one-half-in section, of' a k:draft gearembodyingthe lpresent improvement s.

Like letters of reference in the severalA figures indicate the samelpart-s.

lVhile the invention of ythe present appli` 60 cation may be embodied in-many 'different mechanisms and lparticularly may be embodied .in .manyVdiierent :arrangements of draft and buffng rigging ttor -rai-lwaycar-s, l have adopted for illustrative purposes fa k($5 type of'buflingmechanism which is part/icm, larly well adapted for use on passengercarsand similar railway equipment.

In Figs. 1 .to 4, the letter A indicates the end sill of a car.; B thebu''er beam, and C 70 longitudinal sills suspended beneathor upon whichthe end sill land buii'er beam are mounted. Thebufer beam isprovided-with a buffer ybeam extension D and the buer E, which projectsyin vfront vof thebuer beam, 'L5 is supported on side stems Fand acenter stem 1G, all of which stems .extend back through the buiferbeamextensionand buii'er r beam in the ordinary way. The center stem l isillustrated as of great width in proportion tio-its thickness in avertical plane, whereby l additional strength .and rigidity is secured/to resist the `heavy'buiing:strains to Awhich i/t/ may be subjected whenused .in connection with athe present, invention. Between the bufferbeam and end sill of the car `therevis interposed a housing for .theoperating parts of the mechanism and, while this housing in theparticular form illustrated, correspondsr closely to `that illustratedin my :prior appli- 9b".

cation, Serial No. -519, 552,=and is preferably vention 4for bufiingmechanism, it will `be' under-stood that any suitable supportingdenvices or framing-.may be-substituted therefor '95 without :departing'from the invention. Ther said yhou-sing is preferably an'integralcasting which, at its-rear end `H abuts squarely againstthe end silloanditis provided with .forwardly extending sides Hf adapted .to

abut squarely against the inner face -ofthe .bi1-iler beam. 'It isfurther 4:provided with lateral "extensions .H2 `forming vbrackets forthe support of the ,inner 4(ends .of )the side stems and sidestemsprings F. Forconm5 venience, the rear -en'ds of Vthe .side stemsFbear in .rear Aeide stem followers f and the latter vare heldyin-.chambers in `brackets H2,

beingadapted forremoval therefrom through aperturesgh, best se'en inFig.v :1 `oi. the drawl 110 ing. The rear portion of the castingpreferably forms a housing for the rear ends of@ secondary center stemYsprings I and is further provided with stops or shoulders i againstwhich a rear follower K is adapted to come to rest. The rear follower Kis normally heldadvanced by the rear springs I actingthrough asupplemental follower L, to be presently described. Immediately forwardof the rear follower is a yielding body, formed of a series of elasticplates M, in intinate frictional contact with each other confinedbetween the rear follower K and a front follower N, and said followers.as well as the elastic plates, being supported in the casting by abottom web O, shown clearly in 'Figs 2 and 3, so as to be capable of a.longitudinal movement. Between the front follower N and the inner end ofthe center stem G there is interposed a preliminary spring or springs Pand an inner stem follower'p which may serve to position the front endof the spring and is adapted to seatagainst the forwardly extendingflange n of the front follower N when the preliminary spring iscompressed.

Obviously, the form of the proximate faces of the front and rearfollowers and of the elastic plates may be varied, inasmuch as theobject is to provide an enormous yielding resistance to any relativemovement of said followers and this is secured by flexing the plates.`ln the preferred arrange.- ment, the. plates are normally curved andnested, one within the other, so as to form a body which isconcave-convex. the convex face rest-ing at its center against onefollower and the concav`e face resting-at its ends against the otherfollower, thefollowers themselves being provided with substantiallyplane faces. The elastic resistance of a body of plates in intimatefrictional .contact with each other, it is well known may be made verygreat where intended to over come or absorb a relatively short "movementand, in Athe present invention, not only is .this resistance augmentedbut the friction between the plates is increased and mamivl tainedduring thefen'tire bending movements of the plates by the'supplemei'ital follower L, before referred to. This supplementalfollower is supported bythe rear springs l and its ends Z contact withthe elastic plates in proximity to their ends. ,ln the particularembodiment illustrated, the ends Z of the supplemental follower engagethe convex face of the body of plates slightly 'within or nearer theaxial line. of the device than are. the contacting points between theopposite face of the body of plates and the forward follower. Thisparticular arrangement is not essential but is preferable, be causerearward movement of the front follower resisted 'by thc supplcn'ientalvrear follower alone will tc'nd, in a slight degree, to

' flex the platesor bend them back-into a more nearly straight position.The rear follower,

on the other hand, which contacts with the body of plates at the center,will serve as the' main abutment against which the plates may be flexedby the movement of the forward follower, but throughout the movement orbending of the plates in both directions, the supplemental follower willhold them in intimate frictional contact, espeeially near the ends and,.as a result of the arrangement, injurious recoil is, to a large extent,eliminated.

rPhe operation of the embodiment of the device thus far described will,under heavy bufiing strains, be as follows -The buffer being pushedinwardly forces the center and side stems in, themovement of the sidestems being resisted by the side stem springs. and the movement of thecenter stem` being preliminarily resisted by the preliminary spring P.The preliminary'spring P is a relatively light spring, and, when it 'is'compressed and the center stem follower seated against'the forwardfollower,the

body of plates will ,be moved rearwardly. During the intermediateportion of the total movement the tiexible plates will be flexed onlyslightly, if at all, such -portion of the movement being resisted by therear springs I but, upon the movement of the rear fol lower K beingarrested by contact with the stops 2f, further inward movement of thebuffer is yieldingly resisted by the body of elastic ,plates and alsobythe rear springsI secured on the proximate faces of the .draftltimbers and R R indicates followers confined between the stops on saidplates. S indicates the strap and T T bodies of iexible platescorresponding-,to the plates M of Figs. l to 4. In this embodiment, thebodies of plates F are coneavo-convex with the coni vex faces towardeach other, or toward thef" center of thedevice. Oppositely disposedintermediate followers U contact with the' convex faces of the plates,said followers being provided with flanges u adapted to Contact witheach other to arrest the relative movement of the intermediatefollowers.

lSupplemental followers V are located within the intermediate followersU and their ends 'a project through the intermediate followers andinto`contact with the bodies lof tiexivble platesA in proximity to theends of the latter. Intermediate springs W are' interposed betweeu thesupplemental followers and serve to normally hold said followers,

together with the followers U, against the proximate faces of theplates. In operationv and acting under either draft or buffgva-ave ingstrain, one of the end followers R will be moved inwardly, therebycompressing the intermec'liatesprings W' until the intermediatefollowers U contact withfeach other. Further movement will .result inalexing of the bodies of plates in the manner heretoy fore described andthe supplemental followers being acted upon by the intermediate springswill resist-the flexing of the plates and, at the same time, hold saidplates in intimate frictional contact. Obviously, the preliminarymovement may be made of any desired length by separating theintermediate followers morel or less and, in fact, it is entirelypracticable to dispense entirely with one of the sets of plates,together with its intermediate and supplemental followers.

lVith all of the embodiments illustrated and, in fact, with the presentinvention embodied in any structure for absorbing relative movement ofbodies, it is obvious that the elastic resistance to nal movements maybe made as great as desired, without permitting the parts to come upsolid, and at, the same time the size of the device may be kept withinpracticable limits. Itwill `be further noted that 'with the presentinvention a relative long run or movement maybe provided for and theresistance in` lfln a mechanism for yieldingly'resisting relativemovement of railway cars, the

combination with a series of elastic plates in frictional contact witheach other, and followers between which the plates are flexed to form ayielding resistance member, of a supplemental yieldingly held fol--lower engaging the body of pla-tes in proximity to their ends wherebyfrictional con,-

Itact between the plates is maintainedand recoil reduced.

lower and to contact in proximity to their ends with the other follower,whereby the body of plates will be flexedby relative movement of thefollowers, of a supplemental spring pressed follower engaging the convexside of t-he'plate's in proximity to their yends whereby iiexing of the`plates is resisted.

The combination with oppositely disposed followcrs, a series of lelasticplates in contact withe'ach other andeontacting with said folldwers indifferent longitudinal planes whereby movement of the followers towardeach? other will fiex the platos, of a Vspring pressed supplementalfollower engaging said plates on opposite sides of the center andoperating to resist the flexing of the plates.

5. The combination with the oppositely disposed main followers movablein the same direction, stops for limiting the movement of one of saidfollowers and a. spring pressed supplemental follower having projectionsextending beyond the face of onelof the main followers and adapted whenadvanced by its spring to move said main follower away from its stops,Vof a yielding body formed of a plurality of flexible plates interposedbetween said followers.`

6. The combination with the oppositely disposed main followers movablein the same direction, stops for limiting the movement of one of saidfollowers and@ spring pressed supplemental follower engaging one of themain followers to move the same away from its stops when advanced'by itsspring and having projections extending beyond the face of the follower,of a vyielding body formed of a plurality of curved flexible platesinter- I posed between said followers the convex sides of said body ofplates being in engagement with the supplemental follower and mainfollower with which the supplemental follower. cooperates, and the endsof the concave face of the said body of plates being in engagement withthe opposite main follower.

7. The combination with a spring pressed su Vlemcntal follower havin@end )ro'ec-` tions, a main follower having. apertures through which saidpro]ect1ons extend and stops for arresting the movement of the main iso`tending beyond tbe face of one of said main followers and an elastiobody formed of superposed curved plates interposed between the mainfollowers and in position for the projections of the supplementalfollower to en age the convex face of the elastic body.

In a bufng mechanism for railway cars, the combination with' the centerstem,-

nary spring, of an elastic body ofplates in rear of said follower, arear follower against which said plates rest, stops for limiting therearward movement of therear follower, a

supplemental rear follower having projeC-.

tions extending beyond the face of the rear follower in position toengage the elastic body of plates, and rear springs cooperating withsaid rear, main and`supplemental followers for holding the samenormallyadvanced. n

RICHARD' D. GALLAGHER, JR. Witnesses: I

ELIZABETH M. URQUHART,.

A. `W. TAYLOR.

